From Slum to Den
by Denebola Leo
Summary: Being brought into a home when all you knew were the slums after being rescued from the terrors of a psychopathic maniac in a sewer takes time. It doesn't help that a secret is being kept from him by one of his rescuers... (Character development for Zeph in Cloudy Wolf)
1. A Second Chance

**A/N: I decided to upload these to FF. They're part of Cloudy Wolf and revolve around Zeph, because I thought he needed more character development to make him less a shadow. I guess this first chapter will be a bit duller than the next ones, which shows how he began to bond with everyone in the household a lot better. If you enjoy slice of life, this is full of it.**

* * *

He hadn't left the corner of his cell for the longest time, a day or three, or maybe it had been longer. Maybe it hadn't been that long at all, but it felt that way to him regardless. There wasn't any point in standing up and fretting about that monster that often came down to this dungeon to torment them. Fiore was gone. He couldn't get it out of his head, her last moments replaying in his head continuously as he sat in that dark and filthy cell. It wouldn't leave him.

Valdt had come, agitated and growling. He had rattled their cages and played a twisted game, picking which cell's contents would suit his needs. Zeph hadn't been here that long, perhaps a week, by his guess but it felt like forever. In that time he very quickly became acquinted with Valdt and his love of terror and torture. That shapeshifting abomination loved their reactions to the things he did, and it was all Zeph could do to shield his sister from the brunt of it.

Until that day.

The werewolf had pointed one gnarled finger at Zeph's cell, his face warping into a twisted smile in the flood lights set up in the room. He had walked over and eyed both children, settling on Fiore. The girl was clinging to her big brother, but she wasn't out of reach of that monster as he unlocked the door. Zeph held her as tight as he could, but Valdt twisted her filthy shirt in his hands and pulled her away, then shoved Zeph back with his boot.

As soon as the cell was locked again the feeding began.

Zeph could still hear the sneering growls and the screams. He hadn't killed her quickly, Fiore reaching with her unmaimed hand towards her brother as she screamed his name. They were both crying, screaming; some of the other children joined in the chorus as other noises became louder.

It was over all too slowly. The wet chomping sounds, bones crunching, Fiore's final scream as it was cut off from a sudden bite to the neck. The horrible smells that would not leave Zeph's nose. Eventually Valdt finished, rising and tossing what little remained in a can somewhere out of sight. His large shadow moved across the wall. Then, he was gone again, the creature leaving the surviving children in shock and horror. Even if they closed their eyes the other senses wouldn't let it go.

"I'm so sorry, Zeph..."

It was that girl that sometimes talked to them. She had been sobbing, just like he was. Valdt was either going to eat them or send them off to other monsters to be eaten. That was just how it was going to be, he knew it now.

Until today, it seemed.

He didn't look up from his knees, but he heard Valdt talking to some new captive. Then he heard him speaking to other people. There were growls and snarls, gunshots and metallic noises. Someone slammed into wall near his cell. A few moments later and there was a howl of pain.

"Cloud!" It was a woman's voice. A flurry of growls and other noises continued past his prison. It didn't matter if he was being rescued. Zeph couldn't keep his sister safe in time for it.

"Teef..." The voice sounded strange, almost a growl. It must have been the person who was smashed into the wall.

He didn't hear the rest over the sound of his sniffles. After what felt like an eternity he heard a rusty squeaking noise and he instinctively tensed up; the last time that noise was so close Fiore was torn from him. Zeph recoiled at the touch of a hand on his shoulder, but his wild green eyes fell onto red ones that studied him in the twilight gloom of the sewer dungeon.

Zeph relaxed, then began shuddering sobs as the woman scooped him up and rubbed his back. She was soothing. She said everything would be alright, that a man named Cloud would take care of that monster that ate his sister. He hadn't felt so safe in what felt like forever. Safe, but his sister wasn't there to enjoy it with him. He had been too young and weak to fend off Valdt.

Eventually the woman's voice and rubs soothed him into sleep. There were no dreams, just blissful darkness.


	2. I Guess Adults Do Things Just Because

It was strange to Zeph, waking up in a room under covers and not in a dark and dirty cell. It was strange being clean. Having a full belly was strange. It was all very nice, however. Strange but nice, that was how he would describe everything so far. From this evening's meal to the hot shower afterwards, to Tifa tucking him into bed.

It was almost like some dream. Waking up in a bed, being coaxed to live here by a spiky haired man that killed a werewolf with his friends. Two children enthusiastically taking him to their room after he cleaned up. A brown haired woman giving him fresh clothing that almost fit but not quite.

But waking up to the family that took him in staring at him because he woke them up with his screams, that was plenty embarrassing. He worried that they might kick him out for being a bother. It was his first night here, and still that nightmare place and Fiore's brutal death was fresh in his mind. Did Cloud and Tifa know what they were getting into?

Instead of yelling at him, Barret ushered the other children out of the room and Cloud and Tifa walked up to the side of his bed. Nanaki sat nearby, and all three held concern in their eyes.

"...Sorry," Zeph muttered into his blanket as he held it to his mouth.

Tifa shook her head. "It's alright. You had a bad dream." She studied him in the darkness of the room, streetlights and Nanaki's tail bringing some light to their eyes.

Zeph looked at Cloud's eyes; they really did glow in the dark. Was he in Soldier, or did he fall into a mako pool when he was younger? The boy lowered his gaze again; they were a little creepy in the darkness. "I just...The sewers..."

"You were down there for a while, weren't you?" Cloud asked quietly, and he was given a nod in response. The warrior patted his shoulder. "We understand, Zeph. It's gonna take a while for the images to fade."

Zeph frowned up at him. Something like that doesn't fade. "What do you mean?"

"He means that over time, the bad things we experience don't hurt as much," Tifa said. Cloud was rubbing the back of his neck and looking to the side, looking embarrassed by his awkward attempt to soothe the boy.

"Oh." He didn't see how. "Did bad things happen to you?"

Both of them nodded. "A lot of very bad things. But, we moved on from it as best we could." Tifa paused, trying to formulate her next words carefully. "It doesn't mean we forget about those that didn't survive with us, but what happened doesn't hang over us quite like it used to."

"We never stopped caring about the people we lost," Nanaki added quietly from behind the two humans.

"Oh." He began to settle down again. Zeph noticed as he slowly fell back into a dreamless sleep that the adults by his side.

* * *

It didn't take Zeph very long to learn that at the table set up for meals, everyone had their seat. Last night, he had sat in Cloud's seat after being ushered towards it. Now, he sat on the opposite side of Denzel. It felt right to him.

His stomach grumbled as he smelled whatever Tifa was cooking. Cloud was trying to help her, carefully slicing up some fruit for their breakfast as Tifa cooked something in her pan. It smelled like bacon, something he had seen served by food vendors near his slum home. Zeph wondered what it tasted like.

"Morning, Zeph," Denzel mumbled. He rubbed his eye.

Marlene smiled at him. "Good morning!"

"Morning," Zeph said in a quiet voice. He noticed they were both dressed already.

Denzel sighed before taking a sip of juice. "We gotta go to school after breakfast."

Zeph looked back and forth between them. "You go to school?"

"Yeah. Cloud and Tifa used to home school us after the bar closed for the night, but they enrolled us in the school when it opened up," Marlene said.

Zeph gawked. Were they rich or something? The schools in Edge were private, and that took money. He was at a loss for words.

A plate of food gently landed in front of him. "You can go in the fall, Zeph." It was Tifa.

He felt a little overwhelmed by their kindness. "But I just started living here," he said in mild confusion. He didn't get it.

Cloud nodded before sitting down. "And you're going to school in the fall."

Zeph still didn't get it. School cost gil. He knew it would be rude to ask, but this was a lot to take in for a kid that lived in the slums all of his life. There just had to be a catch, some fine print he was missing.

Denzel nudged him as he noticed Barret groggily entering the bar from a room nearby. "You'll get used to it," he whispered.

Zeph slowly nodded. He supposed it was less a question of "why" and just a process to acclimate to. Still, he couldn't help wondering why as he shyly stabbed at his breakfast.

He paused and studied the food in front of him after moving his bangs away from his eyes. He hadn't had a breakfast like this since his mother died, and even then it wasn't like this. She used to serve eggs and toast, but Tifa had made that and bacon with fruit. He glanced at everyone at the table as Barret sat down, then nibbled a piece of bacon. No wonder Cloud seemed content to chew on the crispy pieces of flesh! It was good.

"Hey Spiky, pass the pepper please."

Cloud glanced up from his coffee mug before sliding the shaker to the burly man. He went back to focusing on his coffee.

"Ran outta fruit?" Barret asked as he pointed at Cloud's plate with one hand and peppered his eggs with the other.

Cloud's cheeks turned pink. "Figured you could use more fiber in your diet."

Barret grunted before picking up his plate, stretching it out, and plopping a few pieces of fruit onto Cloud's plate. "I don't need all that."

Tifa rolled her eyes as she ate a bite of breakfast. It seemed this gentle banter was something she was used to. Marlene shoved her plate towards Cloud. "I want more fruit!"

Cloud chuckled and slid the fruit next to her bacon. "Sure."

That was his first breakfast at Seventh Heaven, the name of the place he would be living at he learned afterwards. The other two children had dressed and charged out the door with Barret; he insisted on walking them to school. Now it was just four of them: Cloud, Tifa, Nanaki and him.

"You're going to need new clothing, Zeph," Tifa commented as she strapped a purse to her shoulder. She walked closer before putting a hand to his shoulder and ushering him towards the door.

Zeph moved as she willed, though there was a little resistance on his part. "You're gonna buy me clothing?"

She snorted. "Of course I am! We can't have you in rags."

He wanted to ask why again, but held his tongue. What had Cloud said last night? _'I guess adults do things just because.'_

* * *

It was all so very strange, going to a clothing shop with who was still practically a stranger to him. A very nice stranger, but he was pretty sure it had been less than a day's time since he was rescued by them.

Tifa checked this bit of clothing or that, asking him if liked one thing or the other. It wasn't a lot of clothing in the end, enough to last a week at a time, but it was still something spent on him like he had value to the family. He moved his bangs out of his face as they finished looking for sneakers.

"Zeph, do you like your hair that length?"

He touched his hair again. It was always messy and a little long. Not as long as Denzel's, but enough to get in his eyes. He was used to it. "Yeah," he said simply.

"Hm." Tifa turned around and went to a wall covered in accessories. She looked at him, then at a few of the products offered before plucking one off of the wall. She nodded and headed towards the cashier with the pile of clothing.

After they left with their bags Tifa took out the accessory she had bought for him and handed it to him. "That should keep your bangs out of your eyes, hopefully."

It was a black fabric headband. He looked it this way and that before sliding it over his head and adjusting it so his bangs wouldn't cover his eyes as much. Zeph followed Tifa again, back to the bar. It gave him time to formulate his question better.

"You're going through a lot of trouble, just for me," he said to Tifa as he looked up at her.

She continued to walk as she looked down at the boy. "It's not much trouble at all."

"How is it not?"

Tifa raised a brow. "You decided to live with us, right?" A nod came in response, and she looked forward again. "So why would it be trouble at all? You're part of the family now."

"...Just like that?"

She nodded. "Yeah. It was the same for Denzel, too. Oh, we had to bond and everything, but in the end he's just as much a part of the family as the rest of us."

"He's adopted too?" Now it made sense why Denzel said he would get used to the family; he wasn't their biological child.

"Yeah. Cloud found him in the slums...he had Geostigma," Tifa said quietly as they climbed the steps of Seventh Heaven.

Zeph entered the bar after Tifa opened the door. They took Denzel in despite having Geostigma? "Just like that, huh?"

Tifa looked down at him and nodded, but something in her eyes told him there was more to it than adults doing things just because. "...Just like that."

"Hello, you two. How was your shopping excursion?" It was Nanaki, the dog-cat beast flicked his tail as he regarded the two.

"Fine. Did Cloud go out on delivery?"

Nanaki nodded. "He said packages don't deliver themselves," the beast replied with what looked like a grin to the young boy.

Zeph looked up at Tifa for answers, and she smiled before answering him. "Cloud runs a delivery service. He'll probably stay in the area in case of an emergency for a little while."

"Oh." A bar and a delivery service, ran by fighters who took in orphans and knew strange red beasts with fiery tails. He had only been here a day and felt welcome by the patchwork group of family and friends. He still didn't understand the whys. The slums weren't exactly hostile, but you made friends by scratching each other's backs first and hoping you didn't find a proverbial knife there instead. Except for literal family, of course.

Not that everyone in the slums was untrustworthy, but that was how it was in a place where crime and desperation ran rampant. What could he do to scratch their back? Maybe it was too soon to ask, he thought. He looked up at Tifa again as she moved past him and towards the stairs behind the counter, then at Nanaki as the beast patiently watched him.

His decision to stay was going to lead to interesting times, Zeph decided. But he wouldn't be alone like he thought he would be after his sister was eaten. His eyes flickered down; he really didn't deserve this new life. But it was thrust upon him anyway, so what was the point in walking away from it? She would have scolded him for that.

He took a deep breath and followed Tifa, Nanaki tailing him. A new chance at life. It was offered, and he would take it.


	3. Insisting on Helping

Pancakes were good, Zeph decided. Especially with blueberries in them. They were fluffy and syrupy and warm, and they made him feel...happy. Or maybe it was contentment, he wasn't sure. It was goodness all the same. After nightmares the night before, these would make him feel a little better, he thought. He looked around as he ate breakfast, most everyone similarly engrossed in their breakfast.

Cloud, from what he could see behind Denzel, was chowing down on them quickly, as if he had never eaten before. His forearm sat on the table and he was leaned over his plate, shoveling slices of pancake into his mouth. Zeph wondered if he was even chewing until the warrior coughed and then took a large gulp of coffee to wash down whatever was stuck in his throat. Zeph glanced at Tifa, who held a worried expression on her face as she swallowed her mouthful.

"I'm fine," Cloud rasped before continuing on with his pancakes.

Zeph heard Denzel snicker next to him. He supposed this was another thing to get used to, Cloud almost swallowing his pancakes whole. He went back to his plate and returned to eating them.

"Damn, Spiky. You gonna actually taste your pancakes?" Barret chided from his seat.

"Mhm," was Cloud's muffled reply as he quickly ate another mouthful.

Tifa tapped the fingers of her free hand on the table. "Cloud is in a rush, Barret. There's a lot of deliveries today."

"He ain't gonna get nothin' done if he's dead on the floor."

She sighed before slicing into a pancake. "I've stopped him from choking before, and I'm sure I'll do it again in the future."

Cloud made a grunting sound, then stood up. "I better get going," he said before swallowing the rest of his mouthful. He looked a little green to Zeph. "I'll see you guys in the evening."

The warrior left the table, quickly making his way towards the garage as the rest of the family resumed their meal. Nanaki, Zeph noticed, was looking up at the table. "Any plans for today?"

Denzel glanced at him and then back at his plate. "Last day of school."

"So we'll get to hear some new stories later, right Nanaki?" Marlene said.

He chuckled. "Of course."

"Stories?" Zeph asked.

"Nanaki tells us stories about Cosmo Canyon and his time traveling with Cloud, Tifa and Barret," Denzel replied.

Zeph cocked his head. Traveling? He had wondered where they had met such a creature as Nanaki, but the polite opportunity had not made itself available until now. "How did you meet each other?"

There was a brief silence, the sound of clinking silverware the only sound until the bike rumbled to life; the sound slowly disappeared out into the distance. Were they afraid to tell him? Their faces implied it.

"I met everyone in Midgar a little while before Meteorfall," Nanaki began, his voice hesitant. "We traveled to Cosmo Canyon, and afterwards I decided to hang around some more."

"Oh...where was everyone going?"

"We just had business to take care of everywhere!" Tifa chimed with a smile.

Zeph knew that he wasn't being told something, but it probably wasn't important right now. They barely knew each other, and maybe it was personal, he thought. He was young but he wasn't that naive. He nodded, letting the subject drop. "I hope I can hear some of your stories." Whatever kept his mind busy and away from the bad thoughts that fell on him in the night.

Nanaki smiled. "I look forward to reciting some to you."

Eventually Barret went to take the children to school, leaving the bar in Tifa, Nanaki and Zeph's hands. Zeph fidgeted on the bar stool he sat on, watching Tifa work on a barrel she began filling with measured amounts of juice, sugar and some unknown powder. Once in a while the phone would ring upstairs as she worked on her concoction, and she would go answer it.

"I wanna help."

Tifa looked up as she finished her work on the barrel. "You've barely been here two days, Zeph. We thought you might want to acclimate first..."

He shook his head. "I don't have anything to do right now." It didn't help matters that he desperately wanted to pay back their kindness. Maybe he was still getting used to everything, but his mind demanded he be prudent. That was how it had always been, you reciprocated kindness quickly, he thought.

She put a finger to her lower lip, thinking. "Well, how about you clean the tables for me when customers are finished? That'll give you something to do."

Zeph nodded. He liked the sound of that. So, he spent some time with Nanaki upstairs, asking him questions about this or that. Polite questions about the city and the world, feeling it might yet be too soon to ask him about his tail, or if he was more dog than cat or more cat than dog. Then, he came back downstairs as the bar opened.

At first he hung back and watched as people began to come in, ordering this or that from Tifa. Zeph observed her as she brought out drinks and food, or chatted up a customer. Eventually a few customers left, and Tifa nodded at him. "Go ahead."

He took in a sharp breath of air and marched over to the table, a boy on a mission. A mission to show he was useful to this new group of people that for some reason wanted him in their family. Him.

Zeph bit his lip before cautiously taking the empty plates and stacking them on top of one another, then he took the glasses and placed them on top. Carefully, he brought them back behind the counter and to the sink. He looked up at Tifa, who gave him an encouraging smile.

Next, he used the washrag on his arm to clean off the table. He felt satisfied with his work, and looked back at Tifa. She nodded in approval before continuing her work.

The afternoon went on like that, Zeph growing more confident in his busing abilities as Tifa served customers. He noticed Barret had finally come back while lugging a large box up the stairs after taking a moment to speak with Tifa.

He continued on with his work, happy to put himself to use. Eventually he found himself on autopilot, his mind elsewhere; sometimes it was in the present, and other times it fell into the past. It was hard not to think of the past, and it was a struggle to climb out of it. As he bused another table a man nearby enjoyed a chicken leg, albeit in a messy fashion. Zeph glanced at him, then began to stare.

It wasn't as if there was anything wrong with the customer eating as he did, but the gnashing and smacking were so loud in Zeph's ears. It was all he could hear and all he could see were teeth pinching and tearing off delicate strands of flesh as she screamed his name

"Hey."

Zeph looked up to see Barret studying him with his piercing gaze. His large hand came to Zeph's shoulder, and the boy finally realized that he had been trembling. Zeph looked down, and noticed he had dropped the plates and glasses he was carrying; there was glass and ceramic everywhere.

Oh, Gaia.

He couldn't even do a simple job without his mind wandering where it shouldn't be, and now because he couldn't look away from someone eating chicken. Chicken! Zeph wondered what could possibly be wrong with him to start thinking about it while someone ate.

Zeph was certain he would be scolded for this. He woke them up every night he had been here, now he was destroying their livelihood. He blinked back tears, not wanting anyone to notice how on edge he was at that moment. He wanted nothing more but to fade away.

He felt himself being lifted up by Barret, his head resting on his shoulder. That strange metal hand of his gently patted his back before taking him upstairs and back into Cloud's office. Barret placed him on the bed and let Zeph lie down, and the big man held his knees with his hands as he looked down at him.

"You thinkin' about what happened down there before we found you, aren't ya?"

Zeph nodded, sniffling once and trying hard to keep his composure. Was Barret looking at him with disappointment, anger? Maybe he was annoyed. It was a little difficult to tell unless he was totally broadcasting his feelings with his mouth. Maybe it was because he barely knew him.

He was pat on the shoulder. "It'll take a while before it stops botherin' ya every chance it gets."

"There's still more out there," Zeph whispered. More people, children, would die because of _them_. Things that looked like people so they could get close before snatching loved ones and eating them in the darkness.

Barret's scruffy jaw tightened, and his nostrils flared. "Me and Cloud'll route out those mangy mutts, don't you worry! We ain't gonna have werewolves snatchin' you kids off the street, that's for damn sure!"

Zeph raised his brows. Barret sounded sure of himself. "How're you gonna find them?"

Barret pointed a finger at Nanaki as he stalked into the room, the beast moving his eye from side to side as he was singled out. "He'll help us find those mutts. Every last one of 'em!"

"Barret, I'll have to leave for Cosmo Canyon again soon, you know..."

"While you're here, damn!" He looked at his watch, then grunted. "I gotta pick up the kids. Jes relax here, Zeph." Barret gave the boy a reassuring smile. "Hey, tomorrow me and Spiky are gonna take you around the neighborhood and show you around. Alright?"

Zeph nodded. Outside would be safe with those two next to him. "Is Cloud gonna bring his sword?"

Barret chuckled. "Yeah, he'll bring his big ol' sword." He stood straight and smoothed out his shirt. "I'll be back with the kids soon. Hang tight til then, alright?" Another nod, and it was returned before Barret turned around to head out and down the stairs.

Zeph looked at Nanaki as he walked up to the bed, sitting next to it and flicking his tail softly. He told the red beast of what happened downstairs. For some reason, he intuitively felt he could confide in him. Maybe it was because he looked more like a pet, a creature you could speak to that wouldn't cast judgement on your plight.

"Ah, I heard it as I took a nap. Don't worry, everyone's destroyed their share of plates." Nanaki's nose twitched.

"I...yeah." He had to remember this wasn't his old world, and things were different now. Zeph inhaled deeply, the scent of Tifa's food and the flowers on Cloud's desk quickly becoming a smell he found calming. Maybe it was because he was already familiar with the scent of flowers from a church in the sector next to his that he occasionally sneaked away to when he was younger, hiding away from men and monsters that roamed the seedier roads.

"Do you wish to talk about it?" Nanaki offered.

Zeph let out his lungful of air through his nose. "Maybe later...I think I wanna hear your stories instead." They would be a good distraction.

The beast chuckled. "As soon as the other two make it home. If you would like to rest until then, I will keep watch." With that Nanaki curled up next to the bed, eye on the door.

"Hm." Zeph closed his eyes after rubbing them. He was emotionally exhausted after one little mishap. All because of those _things_ and what they do to people. He thought about Cloud and how he killed Valdt with his giant sword. Maybe they could kill every last one of those shape shifting abominations before anymore lives were ruined.

He lived in a house protected by warriors. Patient warriors. His mind eased some at the thought; maybe he was truly safe here. It felt nice.


	4. Bonding

**A/N: Thanks to kellyj17 for betaing!**

* * *

"So this is the Plaza..."

Zeph looked up at Cloud. "I've been here before."

Cloud looked down at him. "Oh." He coughed into his free hand. "Well, you just follow this road, the memorial stone faces it, see?" He pointed at the Meteorfall monument's memorial face, then back at the road they had just come from.

Zeph looked back and forth from both the road and the monument. "I got it."

Barret chuckled. "It's not so bad. The bar isn't off on some side road, we chose a damn fine place to build!" He put his hands on his hips.

Cloud nodded and continued on his way with the other two in tow. Zeph couldn't stop staring at the gleaming metal of the gigantic sword on his back; he used that to kill Valdt. Nothing could possibly be cooler to the young boy.

Barret would loudly speak about a road and what was on it while pointing, and Cloud would quietly correct him, telling Zeph the actual stores on the street. "Barret doesn't live here, after all," Cloud said with a smirk.

"Right..." Zeph remembered that Barret had to go back to Junon soon. He would stay until a little after the Full Moon hunt, and he had been trying to convince Cloud to join. The blond warrior had been strangely indecisive on the subject, and it made him slightly anxious.

He had seen up close what those monsters do. Why was he hesitant, especially after brashly raiding Valdt's den? It seemed strange. Maybe he was thinking it over, he had a family to watch over, after all. That was probably the logical conclusion, he didn't want to stray away from his family that night.

Zeph was now part of that family.

"Hey, you wanna grab an ice cream?" Barret asked Zeph.

He scratched his arm sheepishly. "I dunno."

Barret ushered them towards the ice cream shop, his hands pushing them towards their destination. "What kinda kid don't want ice cream?!"

"It's not that, I-"

"You deserve a lil' ice cream!"

Cloud rolled his eyes as Barret pushed his metal hand into his sword. "I got legs."

Barret stopped pushing him. "Start usin' 'em, then."

"What about Marlene and Denzel?" Zeph asked as he looked up at Barret.

"I'm plannin' on takin them out after you're acquainted with the neighborhood. C'mon now!"

They reached the little shop quickly and Zeph took a look at the colorful treats offered. There were eight flavors, and Zeph had tried none of them except vanilla. Once a year on his birthday his mother used to buy he and his sister prepackaged ice cream cones, covered in chocolate and nuts. He loved those cones.

"They have a lot of different flavors this year," Cloud commented.

Barret nodded. "Imports into Edge've been up."

Zeph wasn't really paying attention to their boring talk about imports. His eyes focused on a light green ice cream. It looked pretty good. "I wanna try that one," he said as he pointed at it.

Cloud looked down at the glass. "Mint chocolate? Suit yourself."

Zeph turned around and furrowed his brow. "It's not good?"

He shrugged. "See for yourself." He motioned back at the glass with his head.

The child turned back and the employee was holding a tiny wooden spoon with a glob of green ice cream on it. Zeph took it, then examined the cold treat before cautiously putting it into his mouth.

"So what d'you think?" Barret asked.

Zeph looked back as he took the tiny spoon out of his mouth. "I like it," he said sheepishly. It tasted refreshing.

Barret turned to Cloud. "What about you, Spiky?"

Cloud wrinkled his nose and brow. "I dunno..." He came closer to the display, looking over the flavors. He hummed, then pointed at a tub filled with a pale reddish brown ice cream. "That one." He paid for their ice creams and handed Zeph his, then slowly headed back towards the bar.

"What flavor you get?" Barret asked the spiky haired warrior.

Cloud licked his scoop. "Bacon."

"Bacon?" Barret wrinkled his nose. "Tryin' a new flavor for once, huh? Your skinny ass always gets plain ol' vanilla."

The warrior smirked. "Never too late to try new things."

"Is it any good? Sounds like a weird combination."

Cloud licked it again, eyes closed as he focused on the flavor. "A little salty, but I like it."

Barret grunted. "You askin' Tifa for bacon at breakfast every chance you get. Now you gettin' bacon ice cream."

The warrior blushed. Zeph found it odd how easily his cheeks turned pink. Cloud didn't seem like a hardened warrior most of the time; when he thought of powerful fighters he thought of tough, aloof, muscled men. Cloud was skinny, usually quiet, and a little awkward. If it weren't for the sword, Zeph would have never taken him for a swordsman.

"I'm just on a bacon kick, I guess."

Barret snorted. "Must be some kick if you gonna have bacon ice cream. I get a man wantin' bacon for breakfast, but not dessert!"

Cloud narrowed his eyes as he looked at Barret. "It just tastes good, alright?"

"No need to get all defensive over some salty ass ice cream, Spiky." Barret chuckled and Cloud rolled his eyes.

"I'm not bein' defensive..."

"Yeh, sure you ain't."

They arrived home as the last bit of cone fell into Zeph's mouth, and Barret took Marlene and Denzel out next. Zeph wondered why he didn't take them all together, but noticed the big guy slap Cloud's shoulder, mumble something, then pointed at Zeph. The blond swordsman nodded before tossing his cone, then walked towards Zeph as Barret left.

Cloud scratched the back of his head. "Uh, you wanna do something?"

Do something? Zeph hadn't had the opportunity to hang out with Cloud by himself yet. He was either doing deliveries, making routes on his maps, keeping records on his business or spending time with the rest of the family when he got home. He had bonded more with Tifa and Barret and the two kids than with Cloud.

He glanced at Cloud's sword hanging off of his back. "I wanna see your sword."

Cloud grinned and motioned towards the back of the bar. Zeph walked behind Cloud and both said hello to Tifa before entering the garage; Zeph hadn't had the chance to go in here yet. It was low lit, the floor was concrete and there were boxes stored along one wall and a large metal shelf on another. It was filled with this or that, toolboxes and bottles of various chemicals. Near the boxes was a large wooden table with a big bottle of mineral oil and a few rags gathered in a pile next to it.

In front of the sliding door was a sleek black motorcycle, and next to it were a couple of wheels laying about and a large gasoline container. Zeph had never seen a bike quite like this before.

"That's Fenrir," Cloud said as he came up to the motorcycle. He glided a hand over it, then touched something that made the sides of the bike open up. The warrior smiled smugly at Zeph's surprised expression. "It's a custom motorcycle. I had some engineers work on it to suit my needs."

"What goes in there?" Zeph asked.

"My swords."

He took out his sword from behind his back, then Zeph heard a clicking sound. Suddenly, Cloud had two swords. "This is custom, too. It's six swords in one. I call it the Fusion Sword." He put the slimmer sword into his sheath, then took off an even smaller sword. It looked more like a dagger in his hand to Zeph.

To his surprise, Cloud held out the handle of the small blade towards him. Hesitantly and almost reverently Zeph took it; this was a piece of the sword that killed a werewolf. "This is so cool..."

It was a little heavy for its size, and he gingerly turned it over and touched the cool metal of the blade. He looked up as Cloud chuckled. "I don't use the little ones all that much, but sometimes I need something smaller to fight with."

"When?" His Fusion Sword should just cut everything in two.

"Maybe if I'm in a place where I can't swing my sword. I've had to fight in a ravine with these...My larger swords wouldn't have helped at all," Cloud said.

Zeph frowned. "What if you had to fight a werewolf with just these? Wouldn't it get you?"

Cloud looked a little uncomfortable. Maybe he hadn't thought of that, Zeph pondered. Then again, he probably didn't know they existed until very recently, so the risk of being turned into one wouldn't have crossed his mind.

Zeph would hate it if something like that happened to someone like Cloud. He was selfless enough to risk his life for a bunch of kids, him warping into some hideous, bloodthirsty monster wasn't something he deserved.

"Well, I'll just have to make sure I don't get stuck in a narrow space with a werewolf," Cloud said simply. He walked up to the wooden table and unlocked his other swords, placing them in order around each other on its surface. "That's all the swords."

Zeph placed the sword he was holding on the table. "D'you use them a lot when you do deliveries?" Yesterday Cloud had come home with a little bit of blood on his face and arms, thin streaks or smears of red that faded where perhaps his hand had brushed it. He couldn't tell if any was on his clothing, it was all black or very close to black.

Cloud chuckled. "In monster infested areas." He motioned towards his bike. "They fit into those side compartments, so I can get them easily while I'm on the road."

Zeph looked at Fenrir, then the swords. Cloud pointed at them, then the bottle of mineral oil. "I rub them down with oil to keep them in working order. There's a shop owner with a large sharpening stone I visit every couple of months to keep them sharp." He picked up the bottle and a rag, then very cautiously dabbed the white fabric in oil. He picked up one of the thinner swords on the table and demonstrated how one keeps a sword rust free.

"People think keeping a sword is simple, that all you have to do is keep it in a sheath and it'll be as good as the day you bought it," Cloud said as he rubbed in the oil. "But they need to be cared for, or they won't be very useful." He finished his work on the blade, and moved it in his hand to show off the new shine on the metal.

Zeph could see his face staring back at him. "Do you have to do it a lot?"

Cloud turned away and walked towards Fenrir, then placed the sword into one of the open side compartments. He looked back. "It depends. In the Summer I have to do it every week. In the Winter, maybe twice a month. It really depends on the humidity. Or if I had to use them a lot."

Zeph nodded. So if he eventually wanted to keep a weapon with him, he would have to care for the blade as well as knowing how to use it. He wanted a weapon of his own someday, too. He wondered if they'd let him have one down the road, but didn't bring it up yet. Still too soon.

"So...Do you enjoy it here?" Cloud was looking down at him with a raised brow.

Zeph bit his lip and nodded. "Yeah." Fiore came to mind almost instantly. She wasn't around to enjoy this, just him. It made him sad and angry, but he refused to show it on his face. He turned around to look at the swords some more.

He heard a sniffle behind him, making him turn around again. "Are you alright?" Cloud asked. "You sm-seem a little tense." He motioned towards Zeph's tightly curled fists.

"I...guess I'm still coping with everything," Zeph said with downcast eyes.

Cloud bent down until he was nearly eye level with him, and Zeph's jade eyes flickered up. "Just take it one day at a time. That's all you really can do, anyway."

"That's what everyone tells me," Zeph groused. He brought his eyes down again.

Cloud sniffled again, then rubbed his nose. "I guess that gets tiresome."

He wanted to feel better but he couldn't. His recent past would eventually come to pester his thoughts or his dreams, or the guilt of making it out of there alive and into a family would tug at him. He knew it wasn't his fault, Nanaki convinced him, but his heart would have none of it. Not yet, anyway.

He felt Cloud put a hand on his shoulder and he looked up. "Wanna see some moves I can do with my swords?"

Zeph grinned as his mind came to the present, eager to see what Cloud could do with his blades. If anything, this new family of his liked to distract his negative thoughts every chance it got.

As he watched Cloud assemble the Fusion Sword and twirl it around before splitting it and twirling them around without somehow slicing himself up. He had the most smug smile on his face, too. Zeph couldn't help but grin as he watched his guardian's swordplay. He supposed that if everyone insisted the pain of the past would fade with time, he should probably fill that time with good memories.


	5. Punishments and Paranoia

Zeph shifted on his feet as he stood by Denzel's bed. He had been up here earlier in the day, looking at Denzel's monster manual; he was curious ever since he saw Barret with it. He and Tifa had been walking through the hall when she had stopped to ask Barret what he was reading.

He had tapped on the book and said he was reading about werewolves, so he knew what to look out for. Marlene was by his side and giving Tifa a paculiar look, as if she were displeased with something. Tifa seemed a little tense before nodding, then went back to taking Zeph to his new room.

Cloud and Barret had worked on building his new bed over the course of two days, and occasionally as Zeph had walked through the hallway to use the bathroom before bed he would hear one or the other curse or snap at each other over disagreement on the directions. Tifa assured him that it wasn't any trouble, it was just that together they could be horrible at building things.

He glanced at the book on Denzel's nightstand, and tapped his fingers on the side of his black shorts. He memorized everything he could about werewolves when he was left alone with the book after Tifa called Denzel downstairs. He had shown Zeph the entry on Behemoths before he had to leave, it was one of Denzel's favorite monsters.

Some things he already knew first hand. Their love of meat, their aggression and ill temperament. What to look for after potential infection was something new to him, though Valdt told them all how one became a werewolf, threatening the children with it. He hadn't known that silver was their biggest weakness either, and he remembered Barret saying something about acquiring silver bullets. Zeph wondered if Cloud would somehow put silver on his swords, but since the last time he dealt with a werewolf it reportedly lost its head, he probably didn't need it.

"I'm back," Denzel called out as he reentered the room. "Sorry about the wait."

Zeph turned to face Denzel. "It's fine. So, what'd you wanna do today?"

Denzel looked around the room. Marlene was at a friend's house, Barret and Nanaki were out on an errand, and Cloud was doing his deliveries. Tifa was cleaning up the bar after the lunch rush, and only a few customers were downstairs. The two boys had the afternoon free until they would go down and help during the dinner rush. "Wanna play pirates?"

"How do we do that?"

"Um, we can both sit on a bed..." Denzel put a finger to his lip, thinking out the game. "And we'll throw balls at each other and try n' knock the other off their bed!"

Zeph looked back and forth at the beds. "Won't Tifa get mad?"

He was given a shrug in response. "If we're quiet about it she won't know."

Quiet, while throwing things at each other? They could give it a try. He sat on Marlene's bed as Denzel went about looking for his collection of balls. Zeph wondered if he was jealous of him for having a separate room, even though he couldn't help it. If it was less trouble he would have slept in the same room as Marlene and Denzel, but he figured they probably wouldn't want those screams in their room.

He was loud enough in another bedroom. At least the nightmares were slowly subsiding, he thought.

A small pile of pliable soft balls were dumped at his knees. "Here's your cannonballs," Denzel said before dumping a pile on his bed and climbing on top of it. "Avast, ye matey!"

Zeph grinned and let out a short laugh. "Arr," he dead panned. He picked up a ball but hesitated, he still felt unsure.

"There only be enough seas for one of us!" Denzel tossed a ball and smacked Zeph right on his headband.

Zeph felt a little more certain on his course of action now.

He threw a ball and Denzel tried to dodge, but was hit in the shoulder. "These seas be mine."

Denzel's smile grew as Zeph eased into the game. "We'll see about that," he said before throwing another ball, and then another.

One missed and hit the wall behind Marlene's bed and the other ricocheted off of Zeph's belly. He chuckled as he did a rapid ball toss, hitting Denzel directly once, grazing him another, and accidentally throwing one into the hallway. It bounced off of Marlene's head as she passed by, making her shout at the two.

Before Zeph could utter an apology Denzel had bounced off of his bed and onto Marlene's, then tackled Zeph. "I'm boardin' yer ship, bilgerat!"

"Gah!" They wrestled on the bed, one or the other getting the upper hand and pinning each other down at one point or another. They could hear Marlene grousing at them to get off of her bed, but they were both too busy wrestling each other.

Zeph shifted his weight and tried to get on top of Denzel, but toppled them both on to the floor with a thud. Denzel groaned before trying to get the upper hand, his arms pinned down to the floor. "We be drownin' like this, matey," he said as he struggled.

"Zeph! Denzel!" They both looked towards the sound of Marlene's voice. Her hands were on her hips and she was glowering at them; Denzel snickered at her upside down visage. "You gotta make my bed, you two ruined it!"

"No we didn't, it's fine!" Denzel argued.

She motioned towards the bed. "The blankets are half off the bed!"

"What's going on in here?"

The children looked up to see Tifa watching them with a stern gaze. Zeph felt himself shudder slightly, Denzel still pinned beneath him "Um..."

"Zeph, were you two fighting?" she asked.

Denzel struggled to get up from under Zeph, and the blond finally released him as he remembered he had someone under him. "N-no, Tifa! We were playing!" Denzel said.

"On my bed!" Marlene said while stomping her foot.

Tifa closed her eyes and pinched her nose, then looked at the three children again as she crossed her arms. "Guys, I'm running the bar downstairs. Cloud will talk to you two later about this. For now, make Marlene's bed and then come downstairs and help in the bar."

Denzel groaned but nodded. Zeph looked at Tifa slack-jawed, worried he may have gone too far. She turned and left, and he had Denzel shaking his shoulder to get his attention. "Come on, we're in enough trouble as it is."

"R-right." Zeph got to his feet and helped Denzel make the bed, Marlene watching them with a piercing gaze. He looked away from her as they finished, hands in his pockets. "Sorry, Marlene."

She nodded. "Ask before you use my bed next time, okay?" Marlene looked at Denzel with a grumpy glower. "You coulda broken my bed!"

"Nuh-uh. Cloud and Tifa wrestle on their bed and it never breaks."

The two boys made their way downstairs to help Tifa in the bar, Denzel keeping things clean and tidy while Zeph bused tables. He noticed that the noises of customers eating didn't find its way to his ears as much with Denzel paling around; he supposed he was as much of a distraction as the punishment they would both be dealt in the evening.

Tifa still gave them looks here and there, but that seemed to be it as long as they didn't backtalk her. Neither wanted to increase tensions with her, so they obeyed whatever was asked of them. Eventually Marlene began to help as more and more customers funneled in. Zeph was amazed at her ability to woo customers with a smile and a few cute words.

As the dinner rush died down Barret and Nanaki came back to the bar, and soon after the rumble of Cloud's bike grew close. Zeph looked at Tifa, she was cleaning the counter. Marlene was locking the front door as the last customer left. He was beginning to feel a little anxious as the dreaded talking-to fast approached.

Soon enough Cloud was quietly talking to Tifa behind the counter, his eerie eyes locking onto Zeph's for just a moment before returning their gaze to Tifa. He nodded, then disappeared up the stairs. Tifa beckoned the two boys to her, a hand on her hip. "After Cloud gets cleaned up, meet him in his office."

They both nodded and finished cleaning up the bar, then headed up to Cloud's office. He was already there, his hair still damp from his shower. He looked relaxed yet his face was slightly tense, his arms crossed and eyes studying the two as they filed in. He was wearing a dark grey sleeveless shirt and a pair of old jeans, one bare foot on top of the other as if to imitate Cloud's arms.

"You two were fighting on Marlene's bed?" he inquired. His voice wasn't quite as stern as Tifa's, but held just enough tension to make both boys feel small. Cloud let out a sniffle and rubbed the tip of his nose.

Denzel looked down and scratched his arm. "We weren't really fighting, just playing. Really," he said as he slowly lifted his eyes.

"Zeph?"

Cloud was looking towards him now. Zeph slowly nodded. "It was just a game. We didn't mean to mess up Marlene's bed."

The blond haired courier slowly nodded before his eyes looked upon them both. "I know you two are going to play rough sometimes," he began firmly, "but don't do it in the house." Cloud paused and bit his lip; he was thinking of what else to say. "And make sure to respect each other's personal property. Ask Marlene before you can use her bed when you play."

Both boys nodded. "Sorry, Cloud," they almost said in unison.

"You should apologize to Tifa, not me. She's the one worrying one of you is gonna break a leg while she's working the bar," he chided before standing up.

Zeph looked between both Cloud and Denzel. Were they going to be punished or what?

As if reading his mind Cloud pointed down at Denzel. "Alright. You have to clean the bathrooms, both of them, and you have to make Marlene's bed every morning for a week." Denzel groaned but nodded. It was known to Zeph already that Denzel was an efficient cleaner, but wasn't the biggest fan of bathroom duty. Usually everyone took turns, but now he was stuck with both of them for the whole week.

The bar's bathroom could get pretty bad some days.

Cloud's finger moved to point at Zeph, and he stiffened. "And Zeph, you'll help Tifa organize the alcohol stores and clean the kitchen after the bar closes for the week. I know you haven't done that before, but Tifa can show you what you have to do."

He quietly nodded, and Cloud pat them both on the back before leaving. Denzel groaned. "Man..."

"At least you know what you're doing..."

Denzel shrugged as they both slowly left the office and went downstairs to the bar. "The kitchen can get kinda grimy by the end of the day, especially if Tifa has to fry a lot. The stores aren't so bad, but it's kinda heavy work."

"Oh. Is this how we get punished?" Zeph wasn't sure if this was considered severe or something not out of the ordinary.

"Sometimes. Sometimes we get grounded if we get into some real trouble, _and_ we gotta do extra chores. But, this isn't the worst I've had to do."

"What's the worst?"

Denzel blushed. "Um, when I first started school I didn't want to be there. I wanted to be home schooled by Cloud and Tifa again," he began as they walked down the stairs. "I skipped school and hanged out with some of the homeless kids instead. One day the school called up Tifa, and she called up Cloud to look for me."

"He found me a few blocks away from the bar, and man was he upset. They gave me a big lecture, then Cloud walked us to school for a week, and they grounded me on top of the extra chores." Denzel made a face as the memories resurfaced. "I like school a lot more now, but those were some stressful months."

Zeph nodded. "I'll make sure not to skip school in the fall."

"Don't worry, I'll be there to keep you in line!" Denzel said with a toothy grin before walking over to Tifa.

They both gave her an apology as Cloud suggested while she worked on dinner. Dezel explained they weren't grounded, so it would be alright to play while they waited to eat. Their punishments started tomorrow. Zeph did not feel particularly sour about it, in fact it made him feel a bit more like he was a part of the family and not just someone living there. After talking to Nanaki for a while he heard Tifa call out, and he went towards the galley and his dinner.

During dinner he wondered if somehow Valdt scratched Cloud, and that he was hiding it from them all. The warrior much preferred meat to anything else on his plate every night, and Barret would chide him about eating his vegetables. Of course, he'd take one good look at the silver earring that gleamed behind a blond lock and think that it was all in his head; it was just coincidental, because werewolves can't stand silver.

Still, something seemed just the slightest bit off. He wouldn't have pondered on it so much if Barret had not said so much. What he thought he liked long ago, or Cloud's response that he wasn't in the mood for broccoli tonight. Zeph chalked it up to paranoia after reading that book, because Cloud just couldn't be one. He wore silver jewelry, he was calm and friendly if a bit awkward, and Nanaki would have said something by now.

Zeph sighed into his water glass. He supposed this was another thing he would have to cope with in the days to come, extra chores and unnecessary paranoia. Especially now that a Full Moon was almost upon the city. If he had been watching Cloud at that moment instead of being wrapped up in his thoughts, he would have noticed the warrior looking at him from behind Denzel with a frown on his face.


	6. Training

Zeph was a mild, paranoid, and generally meek child. He used to be a little bolder with a sister to protect, but now he was settling into another home and he felt like he was at the bottom of the totem pole. It was as expected until he found his place in the family. They were patient, kind people that were growing on him quickly.

Now that he had a silver sword in his possession, however, he felt much more confident. He felt a little more like himself. That blade would be a way for him to stop any other werewolves from eating anyone else if he could help it, and he hoped Cloud's training could help him with that goal.

Cloud had seemed less than enthused over Barret gifting the children weapons, but Zeph could understand that. Weapons were a big responsibility, Cloud had told him and even showed him the care he took with his swords. But that was fine, Zeph thought. Care should be put into something as precious as a weapon, especially one that can kill werewolves.

"Okay, now that you're both done almost killin' me...I hope." Cloud sighed as he warily looked at the shiny weapons in Zeph's and Denzel's hands as they stood in the alley behind the bar. Zeph had almost slashed Cloud with his sword just a minute ago as the warrior tried to help him properly hold his sword. Denzel had smashed one of the ends of his rod into Cloud's knee when he swung it as he put the weapon into a battle ready position, causing the warrior to grunt in pain and hold his kneecap for a few moments.

He may be a warrior, but Zeph supposed getting clubbed like that was still jarring.

"Let's start on a basic stance. Your footwork is just as important in battle as your weapon. If you don't keep your balance while swingin' your weapon, you may as well just let the monster eat you." Cloud walked over to Denzel and crouched down to move his feet into the position he wanted them to be at. He moved over to Zeph and did the same thing before standing up, taking several steps back, and crossing his arms. "Like that," Cloud said with a nod of his head.

One foot out, the other back just a little bit with the foot at a slight angle. Denzel looked up after studying his feet. "But don't we move a lot during fights?"

"Yeah. Where to put your feet when you aren't moving is important, though." Cloud took out two of his swords, then put himself in the stance he had the children in. "I'm gonna move around, but my feet are gonna end up in that stance. It's second nature for me, and it'll be second nature for you, too."

Cloud moved about, twirling his swords artfully through the air. He stopped, and his feet were in position. Again he moved about and again he landed his feet in that stance. He put his swords back in his sheath and nodded. "It'll take time and practice, but if I can do it, I'm sure you guys have a fighting chance to do it too," he said with a wry grin.

Zeph looked down at his feet, wobbled a little, and fell out of the stance. He rubbed the back of his head and looked up at Cloud, who was watching him with his arms crossed again. "Oh."

"Put your feet back into position," Cloud said. It was a gentle command.

Zeph bit his lip before trying to get his feet just right. After a little while Cloud came over to correct him. The blond warrior pat his shoulder when he was done. "There."

Cloud looked over at Denzel and then moved in front of him. "You too, Denzel. Move your feet into position."

The brown haired boy looked reluctant to mess up the stance he was still in. After a moment he shifted his feet, then tried his luck remembering the stance. Cloud bent down and corrected it, then stood up. He walked in between the two boys and mimicked their stance. "We'll do it together, okay?"

The next half hour was Cloud calling out two orders: To stand straight, and to go into the basic stance he was teaching them. He corrected them here and there, and eventually they had it mostly down. Cloud patted their shoulders before walking in front of them and turning to face them. "Good, you're getting it."

Next he began showing them how to do basic swipes. Cloud separated the two boys further before going over to Denzel and positioning the hands on his rod. He then stood fifteen feet in front of them and took out a sword. "This is more for you, Zeph." He turned his head to look at Denzel. "You can sorta do the same, it's just a little clumsier..."

Cloud brought his blade down neatly, then did it a few more times. "This basic form is easy, you two should have it down in no time."

Zeph and Denzel looked at each other, then looked at the weapons in their hands. They both tried the chop, their form steadily growing more steady as they practiced and Cloud corrected.

"Good. Make sure you have a solid grasp of this basic form before we go into any kind of defensive positions." Cloud walked over to Denzel as he gave the air thwacks with his rod.

Zeph continued to focus on his basic swordwork as Cloud helped Denzel with his rod. He felt much more confident now than he had when they first started, but he knew there would be more difficult things to learn later. During lunch Denzel quietly talked to him about things called Spirit Attacks, and other times called Limits.

Denzel had explained that they were special techniques that a person could do when they were angry or desperate enough in battle. He claimed he had done it once with a metal rod to bust open a water pipe to stop one of those strange monsters that appeared in Edge while a dragon attacked the Plaza. When Zeph looked skeptical of the story Denzel rolled his eyes and told him that he didn't care if he believed him or not.

Well, maybe it was true. Cloud and even Tifa said it was possible to do. Maybe one day he would learn how to do one.

"Hey, Spiky! Think I could talk to ya before I left?" Barret had appeared in the alley they were training in, from behind the corner of the bar. He was smiling and waving. He had said his goodbyes with Nanaki right before practice; Barret had wished them good luck with their training. Nanaki wished them well and said he would be back again for a visit.

Zeph was disappointed that they had to leave. Barret was like Cloud and Tifa, he made a place feel safe and secure. Nanaki was probably the only one of their friends that could sniff out a werewolf, unless there were a few others like him that Zeph hadn't been told about yet.

Cloud looked back at the children with a nod. "Keep practicing. I'll be back." He walked off towards Barret, and before he disappeared behind the bar he was given a hearty pat on the back that pushed him forward a step.

Zeph continued to practice as told, thinking about his future with a silver weapon by his side. Sure, werewolves were rare. They had to be. But there was no way he was taking a chance at coming close to one without his sword. He looked over at Denzel, the boy working on his thrusts. "They won't allow these at school, will they?"

Denzel turned, moved his bangs out of his eyes, then shook his head. "You aren't supposed to have weapons at school. I don't think anything is gonna attack us there, though."

Zeph grunted, then did a few more slices through the air. "Denzel, you think we'll ever meet a werewolf?" He called out to Denzel as the adults talked out of sight.

Denzel hummed to himself while swinging his rod again. "What if we already did? They look like anyone else most of the time..."

The blond boy nodded before finishing another swing. "That's true. I guess that's what makes them scary, they could be anyone." He had a disgusted look form on his face. "Bastards..."

Denzel couldn't help but frown. "What if there's good ones out there, that don't eat people?"

Zeph moved his hair out of his face, his black band trying but failing to keep his long bangs away from his eyes. He looked towards Denzel and snorted. "A good werewolf? Sounds like a fairy tale." He swung again, more forcefully this time. "One of 'em took my sister."

A good werewolf. That sounded like a joke to him. Something that liked the taste of raw flesh and the scent of fear couldn't ever be good. Zeph couldn't blame Denzel for harboring a hope such as that, of course. He hadn't been kidnapped by such a monster and tortured underground with no chance of escape.

It was such a horrible thing that a person could be twisted into a monstrosity like that, he thought. It was a miracle that none of his rescuers were infected in the process. What would they have done if one of their friends had been bitten or scratched? Would they try and save them? It would have been futile. Zeph narrowed his eyes as he cut again. Such a horrible thing...

He heard Denzel sigh next to him, still practicing his swing. Zeph liked Denzel, but his curiosity and hopeful optimism on the subject of werewolves was just strange to him. "Guess we'll see..." Denzel mumbled.


	7. What it Means to You

"So, what's Cloud and Tifa to you?"

Denzel scrunched his eyebrows together as they practiced with the wooden weapons Cloud had purchased for them yesterday. He was out delivering packages now, and the garage was free for them to practice in. They were timid at first, going through the motions Cloud showed them before becoming more adventurous with their swings.

Tifa would take Marlene in here in the morning after breakfast and teach her martial arts. Sometimes Denzel and Zeph would watch and even try out a few of the things she taught for the sake of doing something. They would encourage Marlene if she became frustrated; they wanted her to be able to defend herself if it came down to it.

"What do you mean?" Denzel asked as he leaned his weight on the wooden pole in his hand.

Zeph motioned with his head towards the door to the bar. "I mean, if this is a family...D'you see them as your parents?"

Denzel huffed through his nose and looked down at his feet. "Um...I dunno." He sheepishly glanced upwards at the blond boy, and he gave a look that told Denzel to continue. "Like, they're just Cloud and Tifa. They're not my parents even though they act like parents."

"Oh. So what are they to you?" He really wasn't sure what Denzel's feelings were, just that he was hesitant to explain them.

"Mm...Family. They don't have to be blood related to be my family. They taught me that a long time ago." Denzel sighed and walked a few steps towards the garage door before looking at it. "I kinda see them as a cross between a parent and an older sibling, I think. They're always keeping care of us and trying to make sure we're raised right, but sometimes they do things you'd think your brother or sister would do."

"Like what?"

The brunet scratched his cheek. "One time Cloud made a fort between my bed and Marlene's before a thunderstorm hit, and we read comics together. Another time Tifa listened to me complain about school...she didn't lecture me or give any advice, she said she didn't really have any. She just told me to hang in there, then made some hot chocolate." Denzel turned around and looked back at Zeph.

"It's different for Marlene. She calls Tifa 'Mama' sometimes, and even though she never calls Cloud anything but his name she thinks of him as her second dad."

Zeph cocked his head. "Is Mr. Barret alright with that?"

"I guess so, he just wants Cloud and Tifa to raise her right."

He wanted to ask why them and not Barret himself. He and Marlene looked nothing alike, but the love in her voice and eyes when Barret visited revealed that it really didn't matter if they were related or not. That father-daughter bond was there, even if there was no blood between them. "It's something I'm not used to...The family bonds with people that aren't related, I mean."

"Well, I had to get used to that, too."

"Hm." Zeph brought his practice sword back up, and they sparred again for a bit. "I...never had a father," he said as they finished their mock battle.

Denzel put his weapon away on the shelf. "You didn't?"

"No...Mom didn't talk about him when we asked. Just said he died." He placed his weapon on the shelf next to Denzel's, and the two walked towards the bar. It was almost time for the evening rush, and they both wanted some of the tip money.

They worked through the afternoon, and during a slump Tifa made the two a snack as they sat by the counter. The two munched on their sandwiches and sipped their juice quietly, listening to the sounds of the city outside the bar.

One sound made their ears perk up. It was low and growing louder, but there was some sort of huffing noise as it came closer. It sounded like Fenrir. Tifa frowned as she looked towards the garage door. "Is that Fenrir? Cloud is home early..."

The sound rumbled into the garage, then shut off. Then Cloud came through the door, annoyance evidenced on his face. He was covered in dust and his dark goggles rested haphazardly on top of his crown of spikes. "I had to cancel the rest of my deliveries. Something's wrong with Fenrir," he announced.

"Oh." Tifa scratched the back of her head. "Well, call me if you need me."

Cloud disappeared into the garage again as Tifa went back to prepping vegetables for the dinner rush.

"Cloud might have to go to the store," Denzel said after finishing the first half of his sandwich. "Last time he took me."

"...I wanna go, too," Zeph mumbled. He thought it would be nice to get out of the bar before the dinner rush began. He ate the rest of his sandwich faster, and Denzel did much the same.

Tifa reached for a glass in a cabinet and filled it with ice and water, then handed it to Denzel. "If you two wanna help Cloud fix Fenrir, I think I'll be alright. Marlene should be coming home soon, anyway."

"Okay. Thanks, Tifa," Denzel said before walking over to the garage door. Zeph opened it for him and they both slipped inside. Cloud glanced their way as he finished inspecting Fenrir, a thin piece of jerky lazily hanging out of the side of his mouth.

He walked over to the boys as they stood by his work table, and he slipped the rest of the jerky into his mouth in one smooth motion. He motioned one hand almost dismissively towards his bike as he chewed. "I need to buy some spark plugs," he said before swallowing.

Zeph looked at Fenrir, then Cloud as Denzel put the glass of water on the table. "Can we go with you?"

The courier nodded. He sat down at the chair next to the table and took a sip of water. "Yeah, the shop isn't too far away. I'll show you guys how to replace a spark plug when we get back."

Zeph had a grin growing on his face. It had been a long time since he had had the chance to learn anything about machines, and never a chance to learn about vehicles. They waited for Cloud to finish drinking, then left through the sliding door that opened up into the alley behind the bar.

The two boys walked to Cloud's side as he guided them to the store, talking about this or that.

"Where did you go this time, Cloud?" Denzel asked.

"I had to go to a village near Mideel."

Zeph had heard of the islands of the Mideel area. "What's it like there?"

"Hot, humid. The islands are close to the Lifestream, so the countryside is full of farms and orchards." Cloud turned towards a street that branched off from the plaza.

The parts shop was tucked away near a mechanic, the pavement leading into the back where the garage was hidden was stained with black splotches. The three walked into the shop, and Cloud began talking to the owner as the two boys looked at some of the merchandise. There was a metal tang to the air, and the heaviness of grease that wasn't quite like the scent of the deep frier at the bar.

Air fresheners, rows of oil cartons and tools for mechanics, antifreeze and lubricants. Neither of them knew exactly how Cloud used half of these things. Denzel knew a little, enough to gloat. He pointed at the shelves of oil. "Cloud taught me how to do an oil change."

"Oh. So you could do one by yourself?"

Denzel puffed his chest out a little. "I bet I could. It's pretty easy."

A gloved hand gently grabbed his shoulder. "I don't think you're quite ready for that, Denzel," Cloud said with a playful smirk. He lifted his other hand, and it held his spark plugs. "Time to go home, guys."

They left quietly, Denzel holding a blush on his cheeks. The sun was still over the tops of the buildings to the west, and Zeph wondered if Mideel was as humid and hot as it was here. He never liked the stickiness in the air that would invade the slums, making the grimy atmosphere clammy in the summer.

As soon as they made it back into the garage Cloud was rummaging through his tool box. He took out this and that, then popped open the engine compartment. It revealed the complex of metal and grease that took Cloud to far away lands. His finger pointed at four black things.

"This one needs to be replaced." He started working on one of the things he had pointed out, using a ratchet to unscrew it out of its home. After a minute Cloud had the ruined spark plug in his hand. He handed it to Zeph to study. Cloud held up the fresh spark plug, then let Denzel hold it. "See the difference?"

Zeph tilted the piece of metal and plastic. "It's dirty," he declared.

Denzel pointed at the metal tip. "It looks pretty busted up."

Cloud nodded approvingly. "A spark plug ignites the fuel in the engine. No spark plugs, no combustion." He unzipped his shirt and took it off, then tossed it onto his work table. "Now, we put the new one in. I'll talk you two through it..." He began pointing out this and that on the engine and answering their questions as he fixed Fenrir.

It didn't feel like it took all that long at all to Zeph, and it delighted him to look at machinery again. There had been plenty of makeshift engines and generators in the slums, and he had hoped to someday learn enough that he could have made a living repairing those things in his home sector. He thought that perhaps he still had a chance to do so in this mangled world, especially with Cloud's tutelage.

He watched as Cloud stood straight and turned to look into Fenrir's compartments after closing the engine hood. Zeph noticed there was a strange scar on his chest, like a sunken in, white shooting star. He wondered if Cloud got it while delivering packages, or if it was from some earlier part of his life. Maybe he had a rough early life, he thought. He frowned when he noticed a similarly patterned scar on his back; he had been run through.

How was Cloud still standing?

"Hey."

Zeph looked up; Cloud was standing in front of him, holding something small. He tentatively took it and looked it over. It was a dark brown, wood carving of Bahamut, down to the last scale on his tail. It had a beautiful, earthy scent to it. "...For me?" His green eyes looked back up at his guardian.

Cloud nodded. "Yeah. Just a little souvenir from the village." He walked over to Denzel and handed him one, and Zeph noticed there was one left. It was probably for Marlene. They were all different statues of deities.

"Thank you," Zeph said before his eyes again studied the wood carving.

"You're welcome," he heard Cloud say.

Zeph wasn't sure if he held the same stance as Denzel on Cloud and Tifa. They certainly acted like parents to him, but he felt the same hesitancy towards calling them parents as Denzel had. Still, the brunet called them his family, and that particular feeling had been growing. He had a family. It was makeshift and not a little weird, but it was a family, and they had willingly invited him in.

The thought felt wonderful.


	8. Grilling

"Welcome home, Cloud!"

Zeph looked down the stairwell. He could see some of Tifa's legs and the bottom of Cloud's black boots. He was surprised he was home already, but then again Cloud had left around four for an important delivery to the Western Continent. There was a rustling sound and a small chuckle.

"Look what I brought back from Costa del Sol."

"Oh, butterfish! Hm, and fresh whelks. I can make a pasta dish with those..." Tifa giggled softly. "If you'd like, that is."

"If there's plenty of sauce," Cloud replied quietly. There was some more laughter.

"I bet. Mm, the bar isn't too busy this evening, so I think I'll close early. How about we grill the butterfish? Do we have any wood charcoal?"

"Ah, yeah. I'll get the grill ready." Cloud came fully into view, and he looked up at Zeph without a lick of surprise on his face. "Hey, Zeph. Can you get Denzel and Marlene? We're gonna help Tifa make dinner."

"Oh, um, they're visiting a friend's house," he said as he walked down the stairs.

Cloud nodded once, then looked behind him, then back at Zeph. "Guess it's just you and me, then. C'mon."

Zeph followed behind Cloud as he went back into garage. He went up to something that was covered in a black tarp, and he pulled it off, revealing a very simple grill. "It's nothin' fancy, but it gets the job done," Cloud explained. He pointed at a dirty white bag right next to it. "Could you grab that?"

"Sure." The blond boy grabbed it up, surprised at how light it felt. He looked the bag over, but there was no name on it. "What's this?"

"Wood charcoal. It's from Wutai." Cloud pressed the button to the garage door and watched it roll up, then he lifted the grill and walked out and into the alley. A wall of hot, humid air hit them both.

As Zeph followed him he noticed Cloud tense as several alley cats scattered in every which way. One yelped as it skidded past the spiky haired man in a panic. Zeph swore that his guardian looked ready to follow it, but Cloud only put the grill down, albeit in a very deliberate manner.

When he turned around, his face was full of focus, and he was taking deep breaths through his nose. Zeph shifted his weight on his feet as he continued to hold the bag. "...Are you alright, Cloud?"

"...Yeah," he answered lowly. "I...guess those cats caught me off guard."

Zeph wasn't sure how cats could surprise a warrior that took on werewolves in dank, dark sewers. He wondered if maybe he had had a bad experience with them when he was little, and it was just something he couldn't help. The alley cats seemed extraordinarily skittish when Cloud left the garage, but they were friendly when he or Denzel and Marlene showed up. Why didn't they like Cloud?

After a final huff Cloud took off his gloves and pocketed them, then took the bag from Zeph. "Anyway, we wanna put in about this much—after we take off the grate."

He pulled off the lid and then the grate, leaned it on the grill, and dropped in a pile of round black things. Then Cloud put the bag down and arranged the pile of charcoal in the metal pit. The grill was low enough to the ground that Zeph could easily see what Cloud was doing.

"Now," Cloud began, "we light it up." He moved himself in front of Zeph with his back to him. He couldn't see what Cloud was doing, but after a few seconds he heard a 'whoosh' and watched as a tuft of black smoke rose and dissipated. He turned around with a smug grin on his face. "And now we let it go for a bit."

"How did you light it?"

Cloud shrugged. "I have really powerful lighter."

A skeptical look graced Zeph's features. How did he do it so fast? Was he hiding a piece of materia? Maybe. Maybe he had some. Zeph really wanted to see.

"Hey!"

They both turned to see Denzel and Marlene jogging towards them. The two stopped in front of Cloud. "Hey guys. I brought home some butterfish, we're gonna grill them."

"Oh, we haven't had that since last year," Marlene said. "I can't wait!"

Denzel nodded. "I wish we could eat it more often."

That was when Zeph asked the question that had been bothering him since Cloud came home. "What is butterfish, anyway?"

"It's a type of fish that migrates to the Costa region in the summer," Cloud explained. "It has a soft, sweet meat that melts in your mouth. It's delicious."

"Yeah, I bet you'll like it." Denzel looked up at Cloud. "Natsumi said hello."

He chuckled. "Hello back." He rubbed his hands against his pants. "I'll be right back."

Cloud put the cooking grate back on top of the grill and went inside, and the children guarded the grill as they talked. Zeph noticed the cats coming back after a minute, and he rubbed the chin of a yellow one after it warily rubbed the side of its body against the wall of the bar.

"They seem kinda skittish today," Zeph remarked.

Marlene gave a black cat a pet. "Are they? I guess they would be. Um, I mean, it's kinda hot out. They can get like this in hot weather."

He frowned. "It's been hot out, but I've never seen them like this."

"I dunno what's up, then." Denzel peeked at the grill as it continued to heat up.

The cats scattered again as Cloud reappeared, missing his shirt and holding a large plate filled with long, plump looking fish. He narrowed his eyes and they darted towards the nearest cat. His eyes closed and he walked up to the grill before opening them again and taking a look at the grill.

He picked up one of the fish from the plate. The skin went from a ruby red head, to green, to blue and yellow at the tail. It looked like there was something scattered all over it, and three cut marks on the body. "Tifa just finished fixing these up," Cloud said as he began positioning them on the grill. "There's one for each of us."

"I see six," Denzel remarked.

Cloud immediately replied back. "I want seconds."

"How long does it have to cook?" Zeph asked.

Cloud poked at one of the fish. "Uh...How long...?"

Marlene let out a sigh. "Tifa said about ten minutes per inch when you cook fish."

"Oh, okay." More poking and prodding. "I guess twenty minutes, then."

Denzel raised a brow. "You guess?"

"I'm sure I got this. I'll flip it in time." He put the lid on the grill.

Again he left, but returned a minute later with a new plate and metal pincers, and a small folding table that he put them on. With that he leaned on the wall of the bar and watched the grill. Zeph noticed he had a necklace dangling on his chest, and something glimmered on it near his crossed arms. What was it?

Zeph's attention went to the garage as he heard shuffling within. Tifa was placing something on the work table, and then moving about folding chairs. She finally came outside and stood next to Cloud, leaning into him ever so slightly before looking him in the eye. "How long have they been on the grill?"

Cloud's face went blank and he looked away. "Uh...almost five minutes?"

"Hm." Tifa looked at the grill. "I'll take a look in a few minutes, then."

"I thought it would take twenty minutes to cook them?" Zeph asked while looking between her and Marlene.

"It's on a grill, sweetie. The fish need to be watched closely."

"Oh."

The children ended up playing with a ball thew found in the garage, tossing it to each other and occasionally Cloud or Tifa. Zeph still wondered about the cats, though the subject quickly found itself mostly forgotten as the smell of their dinner grew stronger.

Soon enough the fish were taken off the grill and brought into the garage, where there were plates and sides waiting for them. It looked like a rice dish and some vegetables to pick through. There was a pitcher of tea near the end of the table.

It was nice, he thought. They were eating in the garage, a slight evening breeze puffing by as they sat in chairs with their dinner. Zeph never thought he'd try a dish from Costa del Sol, let alone ever see the beaches on the other side of the world. But Tifa said she had been there a couple of times, and she had learned how to make some of the cuisine.

"Like the fish?"

Cloud had a brow raised and some meat on his fork. The fish on Zeph's plate had a crispy skin and meat exactly as Cloud had described earlier. Whatever herbs and spices Tifa had put on it only made it better. "It's good," he replied simply.

It was good, and so was the coconut rice and even the vegetables were tasty. Everone put Cloud had some of the rice, he seemed content with his two fish and a small serving of roughage he picked at here and there.

His eating habits still seemed strange. Maybe his body needed more protein. After all, he had a giant sword. He tried not to think too much on it, or the cats, and more on his dinner. Fiore would have liked this, and a pang of guilt went through his chest.

"Hey, Cloud. Is that a ring?"

Zeph looked up from his plate. Cloud was beginning to blush furiously. "M-maybe."

From the look on Marlene's face, Zeph was certain that he wasn't going to get much studying done after they had eaten.


End file.
